Keynote Speakers

Speaker: Prof. Bebo White

Title: The Intersection of Big Data, Data Science, and the Internet of Things

Abstract:
We are presently on the verge of an exciting new chapter in the Information Age. This chapter will be characterized by three disruptive technologies influencing how data is generated, distributed, and analyzed and by a struggle over how these technologies can be effectively managed and used. The technologies involved in this revolution are Big Data, Data Science, and the “Internet of Things (IOT).” Individually these fields have stirred great interest, but together they promise to change forever the ways we communicate, live our lives, conduct business, and acquire knowledge. This talk will explore both the potential and the pitfalls that need to be addressed in preparation for this convergence.

Brief biography:
Bebo White is a Departmental Associate (Emeritus) at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, the U.S. national laboratory for high-energy physics and basic energy science at Stanford University. Working as a computational physicist, he first became involved with the emerging Web technology while on sabbatical at CERN in 1989.

Upon his return he was part of the team that established the first non-European Web site at SLAC (the fifth site in the world). Ever since, his academic research interests have evolved in parallel with Web technology and he has become internationally recognized as a WWW pioneer and visionary. He is often considered to be the "first American Webmaster" and one of the founders of the discipline of Web Engineering.
In addition to his work at SLAC, Prof. White also holds faculty appointments at several other institutions, advisory positions on a variety of academic, government, and commercial committees, and is a member of the organizing committees of several major conferences series. He frequently lectures and speaks internationally to academic and commercial audiences. The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) has selected him to be a part of their Distinguished Speaker Program.
Prof. White is the author (or co-author) of nine books, and over 100 papers and journal articles.

Speaker: Prof. Geoff Holmes

Title: Big Data and Stream Analytics

Abstract:
This talk is in two parts of unequal size. The first part covers the Big Data debate in terms of issues and challenges. The second, larger part, covers stream analytics. It provides an overview of the field with a focus on a University of Waikato open source project called MOA (Massive Online Analysis), this project is to stream mining what Weka is to non-stream mining. All theoretical work covered in the talk will have a corresponding implementation in MOA. In particular, I will present two recent results that indicate a need for caution and a statement of what constitutes state-of-the-art in data stream classification for practitioners. Finally, I will present the idea of experiment databases, a framework for data mining experimentation that saves effort and offers opportunities for meta learning and hypothesis generation. An example streaming application using MOA within the experiment database framework will be presented.

Brief biography:
Professor Geoff Holmes is currently Dean of the Faculty of Computing and Mathematical Sciences at the University of Waikato, New Zealand. He has been head of the machine learning group and has been involved in several open source projects over the last 20 years. He has made contributions in machine learning across several branches of the subject and has been active in finding ways to reward researchers for their efforts to produce open source software. In this regard he acts as an action editor for the branch of JMLR dedicated to open source software. He was part of the team that in 2005 won the SIGKDD Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery Service Award for Weka and regularly serves on senior PCs for KDD, ECMLPKDD and Discovery Science. Since 2006 he has been working on the MOA project (Massive Online Analysis) making contributions to Big Data Analytics.

He obtained BSc and PhD degrees in Mathematics from Southampton University, UK in 1986. After time as a research assistant in Cambridge University he joined Waikato in 1987, after moving up the ranks, he was promoted to Professor in 2008.

Title: DATA ECOSYSTEMS: FROM VERY LARGE DATA BASES TO BIG DATA INFRASTRUCTURES

Abstract:
Data ecosystems involve the coexistence of one or more data collections, typically databases, and their surrounding applications for data entry and retrieval. For decades, both data and ecosystem management have failed to address significant, costly and labor-consuming challenges which involve (a) the departure from databases focusing on alphanumeric data only, (b) their inability to be integrated and provide transparent access and composition facilities for heterogeneous data, (c) their static querying nature, which is deprived of personal, context-aware or interactive characteristics, (d) the enforcement of DBMS operation over monolithic servers, and, (e) the complete indifference to problems of evolution and adaptation over time.

In this talk we address issues around the methodologies, the theoretical and modeling foundations as well as the algorithmic techniques and the necessary software architectures that will facilitate the personalization, integration, and evolution management facilities for data ecosystems that operate over a decentralized infrastructure for a large variety of data types.

Brief biography:

Timos Sellis received his diploma degree in Electrical Engineering in 1982 from the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), Greece. In 1983 he received the M.Sc. degree from Harvard University and in 1986 the Ph.D. degree from the University of California at Berkeley, both in Computer Science. In 1986, he joined the Department of Computer Science of the University of Maryland, College Park as an Assistant Professor, and became an Associate Professor in 1992. Between 1992 and 1996 he was an Associate Professor at NTUA, where he served as a Professor till January 2013. He is currently a Professor at the School of Computer Science and Information Technology of RMIT University in Australia. Prof. Sellis was also the Director of a new research institute he founded in Greece, the Institute for the Management of Information Systems (IMIS) of the "Athena" Research Center (www.imis.athena-innovation.gr) between 2007 and 2012.

His research interests include big data, data streams, personalization, data integration, and spatio- temporal database systems. He has published over 200 articles in refereed journals and international conferences in the above areas, has over 10.000 citations to his work and has been invited speaker in major international events. He has also participated and co-ordinated several national and european research projects. Prof. Sellis is a recipient of the prestigious Presidential Young Investigator (PYI) award given by the President of USA to the most talented new researchers (1990), and of the VLDB 1997 10 Year Paper Award in 1997 (awarded to the paper published in the proceedings of the VLDB 1987 conference that had the biggest impact in the field of database systems in the decade 1987-97). He was the president of the National Council for Research and Technology of Greece (2001-2003). In November 2009, he was awarded the status of IEEE Fellow, for his contributions to database query optimization, and spatial data management, and in November 2013 the status of ACM Fellow, for his contributions to database query optimization, spatial data management, and data warehousing.

Invited Speakers

Speaker: Prof. Ku Ruhana Ku Mahamud

Title: Hybrid ACS and Flower Pollination Algorithm for optimization

Abstract:
Nature is one of the best sources for inspiration to solve proble ms and several nature inspired algorithms have been proposed. One of these algorithms is the ant colony system which is based on the behaviour of real ant colony. The colony system algorithm is one of the best variants of the ant colony optimization algorithm. However, the exploration mechanism in ant colony system is not efficient specifically when the problem instance increases. A new hybrid algorithm between ant colony system and flower pollination algorithm for optimization problems is proposed. Two approaches which are based on the level of hybridization namely low level hybridization and high level hybridization are used in developing the hybrid algorithms.

Brief biography:
Prof. Dr. Ku Ruhana holds a Bachelor in Mathematical Sciences and a Masters degree in Computing, both from Bradford University, United Kingdom in 1983 and 1986 respectively. Her PhD in Computer Science was obtained from Universiti Pertanian Malaysia in 1994. Prof Dr. Ku Ruhana's academic career began with her appointment as a teacher after receiving her Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in April 1984. She was later appointed as a Universiti Utara Malaysia tutor in August 1984. In addition to teaching, Dr. Ku Ruhana has held several UUM administrative posts. In 1994, she was appointed the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Information Technology, and later as Director of the Centre for Innovations in Education in 1997. From 1998 until 2000, Dr. Ku Ruhana was at the helm of UUM's Center for Professional and Continuing Education. In 2003, she was appointed as Dean for the Faculty of Information Technology, as Dean of the Center for Graduate Studies in 2005 and as Dean for Academic Development in 2008. She is currently a professor in the Department of Computer Science, School of Computing, College of Arts and Sciences, UUM.

As an academic, her research interests include computer systems performance modeling, ant colony optimization and intelligent agent. These and other works have been published in international and national journals, proceedings of national and international conferences and other publications. Her book on 'C Programming' has won her the best publication award in the academic book category in 1999 and in 2002, she published another academic book on 'Mathematics for Business'. She is also chief editor of the Journal of Information and Communication Technology and associate editors to several other refereed journals in Malaysia.

Speaker: Dr. Noordin Ahmad (ANGKASA)

Title: The challenges of Geospatial analytics in the era of Big Data

Abstract:
The volume of geospatial data has grown exponentially with the advent of geospatial technology such as imageries, Global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), sensor networks, radar and LiDAR. The key to Big Data is the need to look at all data in outfits specific to applications. Since Big Data also includes data-intensive computing, middleware, analytics and scientific/social applications, the key to Big Data is analytics. This paper intend to provide an overview of the challenges expected and experienced in applying Geospatial analytics. These include scalable analysis, visualization, spatiotemporal data mining and many more.

Brief biography:
Dr. Noordin Ahmad is one of the pioneers of Geospatial campaigner in Malaysia. 30 years of experience in the areas of Space Applications and Geospatial (GIS, remote sensing and GNSS). Completing his PhD in 1988 he has initiated many efforts towards the development of Geospatial industry through courses, committees and advisory while he was a lecturer at UiTM. Since setting GeoInfo Services Sdn Bhd in 1995 he has worked in many Geospatial related projects, involved in Geospatial NGOs and also provided consultancy to many government agencies as well as oversea countries. He is currently the Director General of the National Space Agency (ANGKASA),
Malaysia .

He has received several recognition and awards such as British High Commissioner Award, UiTM Exemplary Research Award,Gold Award for Research in Geneva Switzerland, and in Nuremburg Germany Asia Geospatial Excellence Award 2014 , and few more. He loves the academic world, appointed as associate researcher at Advanced Technology Institute, external evaluator to Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and, teaching and supervising postgraduate students at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) since 1989.

Speaker: Mr. Goh Su Gim (F-Secure)

Title: The State of the Net: Threat Landscape and Digital Freedom

Abstract:
A retrospect of the Malaysian PC and Mobile Threat Landscape in 2014 on the latest attacks. Based on this, Goh will review how the Internet of Things (IoT) will be affected as they gain more popularity. More critically, as more users become mobile and reliant on data, be it paid or public hotspots, users are exposing themselves and their data to digital attacks, sniffing and phishing techniques. Using past and current actual social experiments, Goh will show the audience how easy it is for their mobile devices to be a source of threat and vulnerability, especially when people knowingly or unknowingly connect to public Wi-Fi, regardless of the provider's intention, and its dangers.

Brief biography:
Mr. Goh Su Gim is a Security Advisor who represents F-Secure in the Asia Pacific region, where he is actively involved in activities that raise public awareness of the IT threat landscape. He can be found giving talks in conferences, and acting as a liaison between the public and the local F-Secure office in Kuala Lumpur. He stays on top of the latest IT security related news, blogs about the latest threats and attacks or interesting findings from the F-Secure Labs, and provides advisories to the general public and media should there be any virus outbreak.

Prior to the advisory role, Su Gim was the Manager of the Threat Insight team at the F-Secure Response Labs in Kuala Lumpur. He led the team, which handles file reputation, vulnerability, web reputation and anti-phishing services, to focus on proactive response in approaching upcoming issues in the threat landscape. The team employs preventive measure in ensuring that users’ are constantly protected; its routine tasks include hunting for threats, maintaining clean file collection, responding to vulnerability issues, and conducting research on exploits.

Su Gim’s past 12 years of IT security experience includes working for several companies in the USA in the area of IT system integration, IT security consulting (network and systems design), penetration testing and assessment, and working at a 24/7 security operations center. Prior to returning to Malaysia, he lived in Hawaii, USA, for 12 years. During his free time, he enjoys playing badminton, jungle trekking, camping and photography.

Note: Information provided in the website is alsways the latest one compared to the one provided in any brochure(s) related to the conference.